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GM to End Blazer/Jimmy Production and Close New Jersey Plant

Closure of Plant Ends 67 Years of GM Production

Less than a month after announcing that its rear-drive Astro and Safari mid-vans would be discontinued and the Baltimore plant that builds them shuttered, General Motors is ending production of another "classic" duo, the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy, and closing the Linden assembly plant that produces them.

Sales of the now outdated sport utility vehicles have been on the decline lately, and with no replacement planned, no alternative vehicle to substitute it at the 67 year old New Jersey facility, and a current need for GM to downsize operations in order to meet financial targets, the end was inevitable.

All salaried workers

Another classic General Motors duo is coming to the end, the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy will soon cease production. (Photo: General Motors)

at the plant have been recommended to seek jobs at one of GMs other locations, but that only makes up 110 out of 1,760 workers. The remaining 1,650 hourly employees will be looking for work outside of GM. GM has been paring down staff as sales have been dropping off, and it will most likely shut down the operation ahead of the original summer of 2005 final date, according to a Detroit News report.

GM will be closing the Linden assembly plant that produces the two now outdated sport utility vehicles. (Photo: General Motors)

GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann, however, denied any early shutdown, stating that while there have been and will continue to be temporary shutdowns due to lack of demand, that his employer has not changed the original scheduled date to shutter the facility.

Sales of the Blazer and Jimmy have been so slow that shutdowns have been numerous, with an average of two weeks of production for every month this year.

"Were adjusting manpower to current

Even with the launch of newer vehicles, GM saw a market for the less expensive SUVs and therefore production continued and the plant stayed open for about 3 years. (Photo: General Motors)

production," Weinmann said. "We have to react."

Just how slow are they? Well, no Jimmys have been sold in the United States this year, down from just 52 sold through October in 2003. Instead, the outgoing GMC has been sold in Canada along with the Blazer. The Blazer has done much better in the U.S., which wouldnt be difficult, yet demand is down 27.5 percent this year, to 31,271 units sold through October.

Initially when the new Chevy TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy were introduced, their two smaller, less refined predecessors were

The Linden facility, opened in 1937, housing a total of 2.6 million square feet of floor space. (Photo: General Motors)

to be cancelled, but GM saw a market for the less expensive SUVs and therefore production continued and the plant stayed open for about 3 years, as of this date.

The Linden facility, opened in 1937, housed a total of 2.6 million square feet of floor space. It dropped its second shift in 2002, when sales of the aging sport utilities began to wane. Reports cite the plants location, outside of the majority of supplier hubs, its age, GMs current eroding market share and a general economic slump as reasons behind the plant closure, emphasizing that the move was not a result of the quality or skill of the Linden workforce.

So when was the last time GM shut down an assembly

No announcement has been made as to what will happen to Lindens hourly workers once production ends next summer. (Photo: General Motors)

plant? The year was 1999, the place Flint, Michigan and the facility the Buick City complex. The closure brought international scrutiny, much in part to a film made by controversial documentary maker Michael Moore, called "Roger and Me", name for previous GM CEO Roger Smith.

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